From Washington State to San Quinton, Mexico Farm Workers United in Struggle -Famialias Unidas in DC
Ramon Torres farmworker/organizer of Familias Unidas por La Justicia labor union in Washington State (Sakuma Bros. Farm) sends a message of solidarity to fellow farmworkers in San Quintin, Mexico from a picket of Whole Foods in Washington DC. #boycottdriscollsberries
WA State Sakuma Farm Workers Leader Ramón Torres Speaks To SF Labor Council
Fired Sakuma Bellingham, WA farmworker leader Ramón Torres who is president of Familias Unidas Para la Justicia (United Families for Justice) spoke about their strike, struggle and living conditions. He and 300 other workers and their families are fighting for better wages, healthcare and health and safety conditions. They have also been replaced by guest workers with H-2A visas who are being used to hold down wages and conditions of the workers.
He spoke at the San Francisco Labor Council on October 28, 2013. To support their struggle and more information go to:
Sakuma Workers' Fund. foodjustice.org and click on the donate button to the right of the screen; or send a check written out to Community to Community Development labeled Sakuma Workers' Fund to 203 W. Holly Street, Ste. 317, Bellingham, WA 98225.
For more information go to:
Production of Labor Video Project laborvideo.org
Driscoll's Workers Call for Global Boycott over Alleged Abuses at World's Biggest Berry Distributor
- Saturday marked an international day of action to boycott Driscoll’s—the largest berry distributor in the world. About an hour north of Seattle in Burlington, Washington, berry pickers have been organizing for three years at Sakuma Brothers Farms, one of the farms where Driscoll’s buys berries. Since 2013, some workers launched a series of walkouts, picket lines and lawsuits over alleged labor violations. In 2014, one of their lawsuits went all the way up to the Washington Supreme Court, where they won a unanimous decision that set a precedent ensuring paid rest breaks statewide. The following year, massive protests broke out at Driscoll’s farms down in San Quintín Valley in Mexico. Since then, Driscoll’s farmworkers have been organizing together on both sides of the border. Democracy Now!’s Laura Gottesdiener spoke to protesting farmworkers in Washington state and went inside the camps where many of them live. She also spoke to Sakuma Brothers Farms CEO Danny Weeden.
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She loves the Tulips Farm in Washington
My daughter enjoying the sea of beautiful tulips in Skagit Valley in Washington State. Tulips festival 2015. Here is the festival's website: tulipfestival.org
Protest against Sarbanand
A march took place in Sumas Tuesday, Aug. 8, following the death of a Sarbanand Farm worker over the weekend. (Ashley Hiruko/Lynden Tribune)
Interstate 5 In Washington,Exit229 To Exit 230,Burlington, WA 98233,Skagit River
2014 07 12
Wonderful Bickleton Washington House
This house is for sale and please contact the Realtor for a viewing. More information to be added later.
Bickleton, Washington is called the Bluebird Capital of the world because of the thousands of bluebirds that spend most of the year in the area. The majority are Mountain Bluebirds with a few Western Bluebirds in or near the forest.
From the Bickleton website:
Although quite small (population 90), there are interesting events and places in or near town. Bickleton is home to the states oldest tavern, The Bluebird, and the states oldest rodeo. The next Pioneer Picnic And Rodeo will be the 105th annual. At the picnic and rodeo grounds is one of the west’s oldest carousels. A 1905 Herschell-Spillman. It is set up and used only on rodeo week-end, which is always the second week-end in June. It was purchased from Oaks Park in Sellwood, Oregon in 1929 and moved to Bickleton. Just 11 miles south of town is the Whoop N Holler Ranch and Museum where there are many interesting local antiques and old vehicles. About 17 miles south of town is 4th largest landfill in the country. Owned, by Allied Waste Industries, it provides much needed jobs and capitol for Klickitat County. The landfill gas created by the decomposing waste is used to generate over 8 megawatts of electrical power. A few miles south of town is the area’s first large wind power electrical generating plant. Good food is available at the Market Street Cafe and the Bluebird Inn.
Hobie Dawg berry picking at Vancouver Lake Park, WA
Hobie Dawg berry picking at Vancouver Lake Park, WA
Let's be Clear, the Workers are Here!
On Monday April 21st, WWU Students for Farmworker Justice joined with Familias Unidas por la Justicia in protesting Sakuma Berry Farms recent 2014 application for Guest workers through the U.S. Guest worker program. Sakuma doesn't need extra farm workers, what it needs is to respect the rights of the farm workers that it has been employing for years and stop robbing their wages. Familias Unidas por la Justicia demands humane working conditions, housing conditions, respect, and to be paid a living wage.
Field workers in Skagit Valley subject to poor pay, bad conditions
Migrant workers in Washington's Skagit Valley are scandalously underpaid and live in terrible conditions. Their employer Skuma Brothers brings them from Mexico and ships them back after the harvest. But workers are fighting back. Rebeca Foster reports.
Christopher Hawley Rollers- Tecate on a Hot Day- 6.20.15 Hempapalooza, Brinnon, WA
Christopher Hawley Rollers- Tecate on a Hot Day- 6.20.15 Hempapalooza, Brinnon, WA Day 1
Featuring Christopher Hawley, Derek Swenson (drums), Max Benson (bass)
Tecate on a Hot Day (Hawley/Wooten)
4-7-14 Immigration Reform Panelists @ TESC by ACAP 4/5
Detailed editorial narrative @
and
When: Monday, April 7 @ 3:00pm -- 5:00pm
Where: SEM II A1105 @ TESC
What: Hosted by Abolish Cops and Prisons; In the wake of the current work and hunger strike involving 1,200 detainees at the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, Washington, immigrant rights organizers from across the Pacific Northwest will be joining us for a panel discussion concerning the connection between immigration, migrant labor, and incarceration. This panel comes at a time when detainees at the Northwest Detention Center are struggling for human rights and dignity. Each panelist has their own experience organizing around these issues and will bring a unique perspective to the panel.
OUR PANELISTS:
Maru Mora Villalpando -- Latino Advocacy and the Dignity Campaign
Maru Mora Villalpando is a bi-lingual statewide community organizer and trainer and Director of Latino Advocacy with more than ten years experience primarily focusing on immigrant rights and racial justice issues. She was one of the lead organizers for the 10th Annual March for Immigrant rights in Seattle, WA where thousands of people demonstrated their support for immigration reform. Ms. Villalpando has been instrumental in grassroots organizing efforts ranging from national health care reform to advocating for changes to the presence of ICE in local police jails through the Secure Communities program. Currently she has been the key community organizer in the recent hunger strikes at the GEO Corp. operated NW Detention Center in Tacoma, WA.
The Dignity Campaign is a national grassroots effort that has crafted a human rights based comprehensive immigration reform platform from the grassroots up, through the convening of Dignity Dialogues.
Edgar Franks -- Formacion Civica, C2C
As part of the C2C Team Edgar is the Coordinator for the Formación Cívica (Civic Engagement) Project. He leads the coordination of the Campaign to End Racial Profiling in Whatcom County. Raised in Skagit County, WA, Edgar comes from a farmworker family and is proud of his farm worker roots. He was a member of MEChA throughout High School and College; a volunteer for the Farm Worker Solidarity Organizing Committee from 1999-2011 and Co-Chair of this committee in 2001-2003. Edgar also is a national leader through the Grassroots Global Justice and the National Planning Committee for the US Social Forum. Edgar represents c2C on various local community groups that look for policy solutions to the increased policing through racial profiling of Latino Youth.
Angelica Villa -- Community to Community
Angelica is a farm worker and is originally from Oaxaca Mexico and arrived in the United States in 1989 at the age of 18 to start a family in Los Angeles, CA. She is a single mother with four children, ages 10, 14, 17 and 20. She has worked many jobs to provide for them; in the fields, restaurants, and hotels. Angelica lives in rural Whatcom County, which borders Canada and she sees on a daily basis the harassment of workers by the Border Patrol and the cooperation of local police officers with them in detaining farm worker families, many of them Mothers with small children. She is a community organizer with C2C and sees first- hand how quickly hardworking farm workers are racially profiled and labeled criminals and deported. She accompanies them to immigration court hearings and supports their families when they are detained at the NW Detention Center.
Ramon Torres -- Familias Unidas por la Justicia
Ramon was elected President of Familias Unidas por la Justicia by over 300 farm workers that went on strike in July of 2013 at Sakuma Bros. Berry Farm. They have since
Formed their own organization and continue to organize for fair wages in the fields and also oppose the federal guest worker program -- h2a -- which they believe is being used
To displace local experienced farm workers. Most of the members of Familias Unidas por la Justicia are indigenous people from Oaxaca and undocumented. Ramon works daily with entire families that have to deal with making a living while undocumented and also are trying to create a happy life for their children.
Tara Villalba -- Raices Culturales Youth Project C2C
Tara leads the Raices Culturales Youth project at c2C. She develops programming that develop leadership within the Latino youth in Whatcom County.
As the key organizer with Latino youth Tara understand the intersection of race, class and gender when it comes to how local police agencies deal with enforcement of
Community policing responsibilities.
This event is a part of RETHINKING PRISONS MONTH -- APRIL 2014. Thanks to our co-sponsors Fist Atevergreen, MEXA de Evergreen, EPIC -- Evergreen Political Information Center, and Students for a Democratic Society.